


i was thinking about my wand

by smlltlks



Series: i don't mind the rain [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Character Development, Draco Malfoy in the Muggle World, Drarry, Friendship, M/M, Memories, Modern Setting, Moving, Moving In Together, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:01:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25463659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smlltlks/pseuds/smlltlks
Summary: Draco and Harry move into their new apartment in the sky, and Draco thinks about many things.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Series: i don't mind the rain [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1835137
Comments: 8
Kudos: 24





	i was thinking about my wand

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that this work is a part of a series! All works in this series can be read as stand-alones, but for a better experience, feel free to check the others first :3
> 
> This one's very Draco-centric. I'm not sorry.

New apartments had a very distinct smell. Somehow a bit sour, from the cleaning products the previous owners had probably used a whole lot of in the last few hours, desperately trying to clean even those dusty, forgotten corners they had not touched in months before. They also smelled faded, and old. This apartment had been emptied two weeks ago and not used since, so the whole main room was filled with dust and musty air. As soon as he had put down the heavy box in his arms, Draco stepped towards the large glass door leading to the balcony and opened it, allowing fresh air to stream in and replace the faded stench within. He repeated this action for one of the windows, then stepped back outside the apartment to gather more boxes. Harry, too, was carrying boxes up by hand, as was their new neighbour, Ella, who had kindly offered to help them move in.

There wasn’t a lot to carry, but it was, nevertheless, so much more than he would have imagined them to own. His own possessions, personal to him and only him, only filled one box. General appliances, towels, sheets and books they shared, however, filled almost four. Three large bags contained clothes, and a smaller one engulfed any other items – toothbrushes, mugs they had desperately wanted to keep, a blow dryer, soaps, a comb.  
A small, wooden box, locked by a spell, safely held Draco’s wand and other magical items. In four months, once November came, he would be able to open it and finally use them again. Strangely, though, he did not miss them as much as he thought he would. The wand only reminded him of all the horrible spells he had cast using it, and of the dark, unloving people who had held it – even used it – in his name: he who must not be named and his followers, but also Draco’s own father. His father, who, much like him but with far stronger loyalties, _had_ _been_ one of the Dark Lord’s followers. Maybe he should just purchase a new wand and make new memories, but a part of him thought of that as cowardice. Draco Malfoy was tired of being a coward.

By the time Harry’s familiar hands tapped his left shoulder and tore him from his thoughts, he had already carried up another box and found himself standing outside on the balcony, trying to catch his breath, and wondering if the sun was always this warm in Birmingham, in late June. Heat itself didn’t bother him too much, really, but his pale skin wasn’t used to the sun’s attention. He’d have to buy some lotion or sunscreen for the rest of summer.

“What are you thinking about?” Harry asked him. “You’ve been silent since we got here.”

“There wasn’t a lot to say.”

“Ella probably thinks you’re mute.”

Draco laughed, dipping his head down. “I’m not used to people befriending someone new the moment they get to a different place.”

“It’s not befriending. It’s just nice to be on good terms with neighbours, don’t you think?”

Draco supposed there was some truth to that. He had never experienced what it was like to have real neighbours, though, so he couldn’t tell for sure.  
“I was thinking about my wand,” he admit.

“Soon. You’ll get it back soon.” That was the only thing Harry had to say about the wand. “But by then you’ll be learning to drive, and joining a book club or a swim team, or both.”

“I will never join a swim team.” Draco retorted, thankful for the change in topic. “That’s ridiculous.”

“But a book club isn’t?”

“No, that is too. I won’t have anyone else tell me what to read.”

Harry laughed at that and went back inside. Just before his brown curls disappeared from Draco’s sight, he said: “I’m glad some things about you will never change.”

The blond considered that for a moment. He knew a lot about him had changed, and he was glad about it. He also knew that there were some things he still wanted to change, or was afraid of keeping due to the underlying fear he harboured of ending up exactly like his father – even if he had never voiced that fear aloud. His chest tightened a little at the thought, and he found himself instinctively reaching upwards until his two hands met. Carefully he traced the outline of one hand using the tips of his other hand’s fingers, taking a deep breath in as his index rose, carefully gliding along the dry skin until it reached nail, and then releasing his breath as soon as his finger dipped over the other side to slide down again. Once as his breathing had become regular, he resumed his thoughts and made a mental note to buy hand cream from the convenience store across the road.  
Things that would never change, but were still positive… he couldn’t think of any. Perhaps Harry had referred to his stubborn mind, or the sarcastic comments. Perhaps it was alright that Draco always knew exactly what he _didn’t_ like, despite rarely knowing what he _did_ want. Perhaps he was being too hard on himself, and the fact that he was trying was already good enough.

Satisfied with the conclusion he arrived at, Draco set foot inside the apartment again. The strange old-air-smell was gone, or maybe he had now gotten used to it. The floor was covered in boxes, but the basic outline of their new home was clear. A door that led out onto a balcony right at the nape of where the open kitchen met the main living room; a sofa under the window, a small table in front; no television – they would buy one soon, if they even needed one; a clear kitchen counter, a fridge, a washing machine. No dishwasher; they didn’t need one. Golden spotted marble stone to top the counter; grey, cloudy tiles on the ground, spread out until they met the wooden flooring of the main room. The bathroom was around the corner, and it was spacious enough for Draco to find it comfortable – there was even a bathtub-shower combo. Their old place had only had a small, well-used shower.

In this apartment everything still looked white and empty. It would take a while before this truly felt like a home. He’d add some plants to the corners and counters; add another few for the balcony. Harry would take him to a place called _IKEA_ the next day to pick out a small stool-and-table set for the balcony, which wasn’t very large – but large enough for two chairs, a small table, and some plants. There were two bedrooms, both of which had a bed already in them. No sheets though, and no desks – Draco wanted a desk for his room.  
Despite this being a place you could certainly live in right from the start, there were still many things missing. The former Slytherin estimated that it would take a couple weeks of them gradually discovering the missing items and buying them before the apartment was truly _“finished”_. But that was okay. They had nothing but time. All that mattered was that he could see the sky from here, since the apartment was on the top floor, well above the lights in the streets that would cloud his vision at night. He’d be the first to feel the rain; the first to see the stars; the closest to the clouds as they passed along.  
Far up and above the noisy streets, he’d found himself a small box in the sky.


End file.
